Real Madrid went back to the top of La Liga with a comfortable win over Getafe ahead of their game against Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid on Sunday.

It was Jude Bellingham’s first match against Mason Greenwood but despite strong second halves from both, it was Madrid’s reserve attacker Joselu who did most to win the game.

He scored a goal in each half to take his tally to 12 for the season, not bad for the journeyman striker who has only started nine games this season and has to constantly hear moans that Madrid ‘don’t have a centre-forward’.

The game started with two slips: Vinicius went down under a challenge from Jose Carmona but never appealed for a penalty. 

Then Real Madrid keeper Andriy Lunin slipped and Greenwood almost nicked the ball from him.

Carlo Ancelotti had picked Luka Modric and Joselu to start and from the former’s cross the latter hit the crossbar with the flag up for offside – it would have needed to be checked.

The flag stayed down moments later when a long ball out from the back sent Vinicius clear but David Soria saved his shot. 

The next chance brought the first goal and it was another of Ancelotti’s changes paying off. 

Lucas Vazquez was making only his fifth start of his season but when he crossed from the right Joselu headed it past Soria. It was his 11th of the season and his sixth header.

Bellingham had made a quiet start but he burst through to force Real Madrid’s first corner which came to nothing. 

He then ran on to a Vinicius pass but couldn’t find a team-mate when he pulled the ball back.

Greenwood had been just as quiet and the first time he found his gallop Antonio Rudiger charged across the pitch and ploughed into him putting the ball and almost the man too out of play. 

Both got straight up and hobbled away from the clash but the German went down again moments later – the knee-to-knee impact had left him far worse off.

Rudiger did not reappear after the break. Real Madrid will hope he is not out for long because they are already without two first choice centre-backs David Alaba and Eder Militao.

Greenwood, in contrast, started the second half brightly and cutting in from the right he the post with a low shot. He was now playing on the right wing and causing more problems for Real Madrid.

Ancelotti’s team had taken their foot off the accelerator since half time but even at half speed they only need a half chance to score and Joselu scored his second of the game on 56 minutes.

Bellingham played the ball to Ferland Mendy who fed Vinicius. His pass found Joselu and with one touch he evaded Omar Alderete and with his second he beat Soria. Alderete had bullied Joselu plenty off the ball but when it mattered he got nowhere near him and it had cost Getafe a goal.

Just past the hour it should have been three. Bellingham’s incisive through ball sent Joselu clear but he selflessly squared to Vinicius who tried to lift the ball over the advancing Soria only for the keeper to bat the soft shot to safety.

Vinicius missed another one-on-one moments later, this time from a Bellingham pass. Getafe were getting away with it; it should have been four by now.

They might have paid but Borja Mayoral hit the post with only Lunin to beat. And another Greenwood shot after he had cut in from the right flashed just past the post.

And at the other end Bellingham sent the Getafe defence one way and then the other before firing goalwards with a shot that was deflected for a corner. 

With three minutes Madrid’s top scoring was taken off and Joselu went with him two more goals to his name, and no hat-trick because of his generosity with Vinicius.

As it was Madrid did not need the third goal and they move back to the top of the table. Ancelotti did not finish the game happy though and was booked at the end of the game. He marched on to the pitch to remonstrate with the referee on the final whistle after Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea had booked Eduardo Camavinga ruling him out of Sunday’s Madrid derby.